


Voltron: Hope of the Universe

by Icka



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: "fuck it i'll do it myself: the fic", BUT JUST A LITTLE THIS IS NOT AN ALLURANCE FIC, F/F, F/M, M/M, adashi, allurance, alternative title "bonding: the fic", basically all the characters, i'll add more characters and relationships in the future!, klance, lots of bonding
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-21
Updated: 2019-01-14
Packaged: 2019-09-23 23:02:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17089391
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icka/pseuds/Icka
Summary: “WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT KEITH! LANCE I AM REALLY AFRAID! CAN WE TALK ABOUT YOUR CRUSH LATER?”“What- No, nono- pff, what do you mean by that? I was just saying that—““LANCE PLEASE!”“OKAY, OKAY HUNK. BUT I DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON THAT MULLET THING.”“I BELIEVE YOU NOW PLEASE LET’S GET AWAY FROM THE ALIENS!”* Voltron rewriting since the very beggining. Adam is with the gang, Keith is a gay mess, Shiro is too a gay mess but with boyfriend issues, Hunk is the best friend in the entire world, Pidge is DoneTM and Lance does NOT have a crush on Keith (or so he says).





	1. The Blue Lion

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO FRIENDS THAT HATE VOLTRON BUT LOVE VOLTRON. 
> 
> I'm really doing this, uh. i actually thought this wouldn't be a big thing but here I am, almost 5000 words later. screw it I'm going to do it. I'm going to rewrite ALL the episodes but obs not following the same storyline. like maybe the first chapters will be a lot like them but it will diverge A LOT. the only 100% sure pairings at this point are klance and adashi, but im super sure i will add more as the story moves. u can find me in twitter: https://twitter.com/rickazs and tumblr: http://ineversawaroad.tumblr.com
> 
> i'm planning to update soon bc i want to finish this on my vacations. english is NOT my first language and its my first story in english so im barely managing. if u find any serious mistake pls let me know ily.
> 
> \---
> 
> EDIT 01/13/2019: NOW THIS FIC HAS A BETA READER! The lovely @Liesel_M is helping me a LOT and did an awesome job in editing this. I couldn't be grateful enough!

**KERBEROS: MOON OF PLUTO**

The stars always welcome him.

 This is a part of his job he usually forgets.

 Between the adrenaline of flying and the complexity of piloting: Shiro often forgets how beautiful the universe is, the immensity of it. When he was younger this enormity made him anxious, but not in a bad way. It made him restless and inspired, like there was nothing he couldn’t achieve in the universe. It was always waiting for him, calling him ever since he could remember.

 It’s still there, all of it, more than his heart can process. But the stars give him a sort of calm, a proof that he belongs here. It makes him feel a little guilty, that he can belong in a place without Adam or Keith. He misses them, and knows there isn’t a place in the universe he can live without them. Adam knows this, but his fiancé doesn’t understand that Shiro can’t live without the stars too. He doesn’t plan on giving up on either, not in the time he still has.

 Well, if Adam still wants him back after all this is over. And Keith doesn’t get into juvenile prison just to piss Adam off.

 “Amazing,” Matt exclaims, “Isn’t this exciting, Shiro?” making him look away from the stars and focusing on the Holt’s work. He smiled, forced but not unkind, “You guys get a little more excited about ice samples than I do.”

 Matt doesn’t get discouraged by his answer. He isn’t even looking at Shiro, his eyes are focused on the moon’s ice, like it was a precious gem. It’s the usual look on Matt: they can be back at home, looking at some strange fish, and his friend can make it look like the biggest discovery in history.  

 “I wish we could take some of it home,” Matt murmurs, and then smiles brightly, “do you think— “. His dad stops him mid sentence. If you don’t know the Holts, you might think it would be to knock some sense into his eldest son’s head, but Sam Holt has the same expression as his son.

 Contrary to Shiro, both Holts have never conformed with the abysmal, dainty universe: they’ve always dreamed of finding life within it. This mission is the first step towards that dream, and Shiro is glad to be here with them. There’s something very rewarding of being part of something bigger than yourself.

 He doesn’t get to tell them this. And he won’t get to say it anytime soon. Though he doesn’t know that yet.

 At first, they thought it was some sort of seismic activity. His first instinct was to glance at their ship; flying always means safety for him. But then, when he looked at the stars, he saw the biggest ship he had ever seen in his life.

 It’s black and purple, beautiful beyond words.

 And it’s not theirs.

 “Run!” he called out, but his friends didn’t move. They’re men of science, used to bow to any kind of strangeness; but Shiro, as a pilot and explorer, can recognize danger when he sees it.

 Sadly, it isn't enough and soon everything turns black.

 Then there is pain.

 

* * *

 

**EARTH. ONE YEAR LATER.**

 

Hunk is about to puke and he is _not_ going to be sorry for it.

 So, like, when they were pairing them off, of course he’ll pick Lance. Lance is his best friend, his other half, his _amigo del alma_ , of course he’ll pick Lance. Especially because the other guys are a bunch of assholes and doesn’t want him in their teams. Hunk isn’t having any of their shit.

 Or Lance’s shit.

 Lance is a good pilot, he knows this; he has seen Lance studying, reciting paragraphs of text without even blinking, memorizing strategies way more advanced than anything they’ve learned in classes. Hunk admires and trusts him with his life.

  _However._ However. Lance miiiiiiight get a _little_ too arrogant when he’s trying to impress the Garrison professors.

  _This_ Lance Hunk does not mind to puke over.

 Pidge is fine. He’s like, a super small dude, but Hunk likes him just fine. He’s really smart, maybe smarter than everyone in the class, and just a little bit of a showoff. And he doesn’t pay attention to anyone’s gossip, so he doesn’t care that Lance has been a fighter pilot for less time than the rest.

 So Pidge is fine. Pidge is a great teammate. Lance is too, when he isn’t trying to impress their _entire class._

 “HUNK! FIX NOW, PUKE LATER,” Lance shouts, but Hunk’s too sick to even try. Pidge is screaming too, so he tries to fix the _stupid hydraulic stabilizer_ that just doesn’t want to work. He stands up and goes to check on it, but regrets it immediately: his stomach calls his bluff out. So he just. Gives up. Fuck it. He vomits just as Lance tries to land the ship and fails, _spectacularly,_ at dodging that overhang.

 The scolding Iverson gives them was just as spectacular; even more so, because Hunk does regret their horrible teamwork. Especially because he knows they can do better; he knows Lance is really smart and Pidge isn’t this cocky. And he knows he’s not that bad of a mechanic most days.

 Maybe.

 Lance and Hunk walk together to their dorm after showers; Lance is a little down, too, but nobody else can tell. Hunk can, though. He recognizes the bad jokes, the swagger and the unnecessary boast. Hunk doesn’t care about cheering himself up; but he can’t help doing it for his friends.

 “Hey, Lance. I’m sorry for, you know. The puking. You were _great_ and I know I kinda fucked up,” he tells him, sitting on his bed. It’s the most honest he can get, and maybe that’s what brings the color back to Lance’s face.

 Now, Lance looks offended, mad and… excited?

Oh _no._

“You know what, Hunk? This wasn’t your fault. Iverson is right. We need to _bond._ ”

_Oh no no no.._

Hunk forces a smile, maybe a bit too hard, because he knows where this conversation is going, “Yeah, yeah of course we need to bond. You know what? Maybe we can sit with Pidge at lunch tomorrow. I could even get us something fancy, you know I’m good friends with the chef…”

“Shhhh Hunk. We are bonding. _Tonight_.”

Of course.

 

* * *

 

 

Katie used to love space, it was full of her parents and her brother's tales and her own thoughts. She loved the idea of something so vast and so unexplored, full of potential yet so far from human touch. Like with all things she didn’t know, she wanted to understand.

 It’s different now, even by a little; the focus is out of place and she can find nothing but the despair of losing half her family when she looks at it.

 Computers, though. Computers she can do.

 Every sound her computer makes feels like a step closer to finding the lost crew of the Kerberos mission. Computers have always calmed her in a way no human can, and  she finds in them her only friend, her only ally. And she loves them for that; she loves how they allow her to work, to give some sense to her erratic, messy thoughts.

 “Do you have a date or something?”

 “HOLY FUCKING SHIT!”

 HOLYFCKINGSHIOT- FUCK.

 “Oh. Hey guys. Lance, Hunk. No, I’m just here ‘cuz I love the stars, so just. Watching them, yup. That’s why I want to go to space, after all. The stars. That... I’m... watching.”

 She praises herself for such a good lie. She can even believe it herself, if she tried. Maybe it would have been true if they had met in another time, before the world became such an ugly mess and she became a liar.

 “Uh-huh. And where did you get this stuff? All the tech-y thingies. All of this just to watch the stars?” Lance asks, because he’s smarter than she gives him credit for. He believes her lie, it seemed, but her actions give everything away. Hunk, though, peaks over Lance with his eyebrows raised and his lips pursed.

 “I built it,” she replies, cockily, before getting the urge to slap herself. Here she’s Pidge Gunderson, a boy who doesn’t want attention; here she can’t be Katie Holt, and she shouldn’t be bright.

 But they don’t seem to notice her internal struggle. Lance looks impressed and Hunk rushes to touch her equipment. She tries to stop him, and she definitely couldn’t if Hunk isn’t basically cotton and puppies made human.

 “And what is it for, exactly?” Hunk asks, not dubious like Lance. Excited, maybe. Enough so that she allows herself to be excited, too.

 “I can scan all the way to the edge of the solar system,” she answers, proudly.

 “Oh, all the way? Like, for example, Kerberos?” Lance quips, and Katie is reminded of why Lance makes her so uncomfortable. She’s used to _science_ people: like her family, like Adam Weiss, like Hunk. She’s so used to them that she often forgets how to act with other people. But she’s not used to Lance’s kind of smart, the one that passes unnoticed until they have you cornered.

 So she doesn’t answer. She doesn’t know what to do with this kind of smart.

 “C’mon, Pidge! We’re a team. And, honestly? We’re the best team there is. We just need to act like it. And we can’t do that with any secrets between us. So I’m going to start. One day, my sister Raquel and I tried to do the whole _Parent Trap_ thing. Except, this movie is made by Americans and our parents were having none of our shit, so before the cows were loose—”

 She had sworn silence two seconds before; she doesn’t trust them, not even for the childish simulations in class, and won’t trust them with her identity on the risk of getting kicked out of the Garrison _again_. But now she’s smiling and Hunk is still fascinated with her stuff and honestly she’s really tired of—

 “Lance. I’m going to tell you.”

 She assures him, and Lance grins and Hunk smiles even more and she really wants to trust them right now.

 “The world won’t be the same after this,” she warns, but she’s unsure if she actually wants them to go.

 “Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Lance exclaims, sitting next to Hunk.

 Katie smiles but it fades quickly; the reality of what she’s about to tell them overcomes the joy of having friends for the first time in her life.

 “The Kerberos Mission wasn’t lost because of a crew mistake. I knew this. I know this. So I’ve been scanning the system, and I’ve found some chatter. _Alien_ chatter. And there’s this one word they keep repeating…”

 “WHOA WHOA. STOP A SECOND THERE. ALIENS?” Hunk interrupts, and Katie almost gets annoyed because she _literally_ just told them that two seconds ago. But then she notices Hunk’s tone: he’s scared, immensely surprised and extremely nervous, but he believes her. He believed her since the very first second.

 “So. Pidge. You’re insane. But you’re our teammate so I’m just going to pretend that you’re making sense,” Lance declares and she snorts.

 “Okay, _you_ wanted this so now you shut up and listen. I’m serious. Tonight, it’s going even crazier than I have ever heard it.”

 “ _How_ crazy?”

 

* * *

 

 

He didn’t wait for Adam to contact him. The moment he got news of the ship entering the Earth’s atmosphere, Keith ran as fast as he could. He knows it’s Shiro. It has to be Shiro.

“Keith,” he hears Adam’s voice from the hearing aid. He doesn’t stop.

 “I’m going, Adam. I know it’s him,” he explains, harshly even if he doesn’t mean it. But he has to go _now_ , he figures, because he would never get Adam’s permission otherwise; Keith’s grateful for all the care Adam has given him, but he doesn’t want his concern now.

“ _Keith._ I know— Keith, I know. I know I can’t stop you. But please, listen. I’m going to help you.”

 This is the first time for almost a year that he realizes that he isn’t the only one who lost Shiro. He often forgets, because Adam isn’t full of rage, unlike him, and Keith doesn't know another kind of mourning. Adam had taken charge of the fake ceremonies, and filled out all the paperwork to keep Keith in his custody. Keith thought Adam did all that so he could move on with his life, but it has never occurred to him that it’s been for the same reason that Adam was now calling: to help _him_.

 “I figured you couldn’t make a plan to save your life. So I’m going to help,” Adam elaborates, cheekily. Keith snorts but doesn’t answer because he knows that, as usual,  Adam is right.

 “Shut up. I have a plan,” he retorts, turning on the motorcycle.

 “Keith. Punching your way in is _not_ a plan.”

 “It is if it works!”

 He swears Adam laughs. But he hears more noises in the background, too, an emergency alarm and people rustling around. Then silence.

 “Keith. I can’t get out right now, but I will find you a distraction. Don’t get too close until I say so.”

 “Adam we don’t have time for this—“

 “Keith. Trust me.”

And he does, against his own instincts; he gets off the motorcycle and waits in silence, his nerves and adrenaline growing every second. He can see the place perfectly, but stays away until Adam shouts “now!”, then he starts running. A second later he hears the explosions, the distractions, taking all the attention to the other side.

Only two guys are left inside. He takes them down easily, one punch each, and rushes to the bed. He touches the man’s face, almost afraid, because this isn’t the Shiro he remembers: this one doesn’t look strong and has an easy laugh. And his black hair is tinted with white.

But he still is. Shiro, his brother, is back home.

He doesn’t have time for more. He cuts the ties and, with difficulty, lifts Shiro up. Shiro is weaker and thinner, but not enough to make this easier for Keith. When three strangers enter the facility he almost throws his brother to the floor to get his blade, deciding on saving Shiro even if he can’t save himself. Adam will manage later, he’s sure, but-

“Nope. No. No, definitely nope. You are not saving Shiro, I AM saving Shiro. Go away, mullet.” one of them announced, lifting one of Shiro’s arms over his shoulder.

Keith looks at him in silence; still unsure if they’re going to fight or not. He recognizes this guy. He knew him from a brighter time, when he had both Shiro and Adam, and could worry about other things; when he had Shiro and being happy seemed an option for the first time in years. He remembers him from that: this guy had a place in a time when he thought he could be happy.

“Who are you?” he asks, almost a murmur. He lets him take Shiro’s other arm, helping him even if he doesn’t remember his name. The memory of the feeling is enough to make him trust the guy.

 “Who am I?! The name’s _Lance_! We were in the same class!”

Oh, then there was when he met him. He’s not surprised. His happiest memories were when he was in the Garrison, well, most of them, “Oh. Were you an engineer?” he inquires, wanting more of this memory.

 “What? No! I’m a pilot! We were, like, rivals! You know, Lance and Keith, neck and neck.”

 Now Keith remembers clearly. Of course he remembers. Lance had an easy smile but never directed to him. He was always next to Keith but didn’t want to be his friend. Not that Keith had much of experience with making friends.

 “I remember you now. You’re a cargo pilot,” he states, hoping that that would be enough for Lance, Keith remembering him. But for some reason Lance looks even more offended.

 “I _was_ a cargo pilot. I’m fighter class now, thanks to you washing out.”

 “You’re…welcome? Congratulations,” he’s being sincere, Lance had potential, _that_ he remembers. But Lance doesn’t seem to like this, either. Adam had said once that it was because he had a resting bitch face but he didn’t get to tell him what it was before Shiro shushed him because _language_ ; he wishes Adam had gotten to continue, so he could stop doing it. It isn’t helpful.

 “Uh…guys. We’re kinda…In the middle of something?” one of the guys near the door interrupts. This one Keith remembers clearly, if only because of his kindness.

 “Hunk.” he voices, and releases a breath he doesn’t know he was  holding.

 “Of course _Hunk_ you remember,” Lance mutters under his breath, and Keith almost groans.

 This is enough for Keith right now. He doesn’t have to fight them, not now at least. And he lets them help save Shiro. They walk to his vehicle, Lance holding most of Shiro’s weight just to show off. Keith tries to change their position, but he’s shorter and thinner so he doesn’t win this battle.

 “Do you mind if we catch a ride with you?” Hunk requests, and Keith is about to tell them that he _does_ mind but they get on his motorcycle anyway.

 “Is this thing big enough for all of us?” questions the small guy.

 “No,” but it’s enough for _Shiro_ and _me_ , he wants to say, but he doesn’t have the time. He’s only glad they came along when he hears the small guy complaining about Shiro’s weight, and can see from the mirror how Lance helps keep him steady.

 “Can’t this thing go any faster?” Lance asks.

 “We could toss out some non-essential weight.” he retorts, hoping that they’d all go down. Except for Hunk, maybe. Hunk can stay and help with Shiro, he allows.

 “Oh right.” he notices Lance looking around and almost smiles. Lance stops, “Okay so that’s was an insult. I get it.”

 He has to thank Shiro for all the illegal lessons on this motorcycle. He manages to lose two of the cars with the help of Hunk leaning around.

 “Aw, man! Mr. Harris just wiped out Professor Montgomery! No, no. He’s fine,” Hunk assures, and this got Keith’s attention, but he doesn’t have time for this right now.

 Only two cars follow him after a messy jump. After a strange, lucky follow up, one of them hits another, leaving them with only one chaser. This last one is really good, though. But Keith knows this place like the back of his hand. He and Shiro came here all the time; but it’s a risky terrain and the car follows them flawlessly. But not even the best driver can attempt to make his next jump.

 He hears the screams but doesn’t change his mind. Yup. They’re doing this.

 When they jump over the cliff, he almost forgets he’s on a dangerous, illicit mission to save Shiro, after a year of looking for him, with three strangers. The adrenaline wins and he finds himself grinning.

 They keep screaming, so he screams back, “Shut up and trust me!”

 He’s surprised they do.

 

* * *

 

 

He can’t believe any of this. Like, _all of this_ , but he especially cannot believe that mullet didn’t remember him. Fucking Keith with his fucking mullet and with his fucking cool flying motorcycle.

 And of course, Keith has monopolized Shiro since the moment they got to his shack. _Lance_ wanted to talk to Shiro, ask him stuff, but Shiro had first wanted to hear what was happening from Keith. They’re talking outside while Lance just paces around this sad, tiny shack.

 “Maybe we should get back. Maybe they haven’t noticed,” Hunk says, but neither Pidge or him pay attention. Pidge wants answers and Lance wants recognition; Hunk is left to worry for all of them.

 When Keith and Shiro get back, Lance doesn’t have the time to talk because Keith goes into a _piñaventura_ that includes all kinds of random words and pictures. It reminds Lance of the time he was joking about the chupacabras and Keith had asked, very seriously, of its whereabouts.

  _This is crazy._ And he’s about to inform them (all of them) that Keith was like, the crazy mullet king and he’s about to go off saying more important things than Keith, but then Shiro walks up to him and he _actually remembers his name_ and offers him his prosthetic hand.

Lance is only a man.

Pidge inquires about the rest of the crew of the mission, and Lance is about to press on that issue when Hunk reminds them of a kinda urgent matter.

 “Can we talk about the _aliens_ now? The aliens that are coming to _kill_ us? Where are they? Are we sure they’re bad aliens and not wonderful, food loving aliens?”

 “I don’t remember much. But I remember this one word, this thing. Voltron. It’s some kind of weapon. We need to find it, before they do.”

 “Piece of cake. Rescue Shiro, find Voltron thingie, save Earth? Just my specialty.” Lance gloats, because it does not sound easy at all and he doesn’t  know what his part in it is. He doesn’t even believe he has one, but _bragging_ is the only way he can force his way through a part.

 Hunk starts to explain some science stuff so he just spaces out. He does understand it (unlike Keith, heh), but would very much prefer to be left out of the conversation. Also, he trusts Hunk. He _can_ understand him but he can’t do anything to help him, but Lance figures he can follow Hunk in a way he wouldn’t follow anybody else. Maybe because he knows Hunk is always looking after him, and lets him have his way when it’s Lance’s turn.

 “So,” he announces, when Hunk is finished and Keith is trying to get the attention to himself again. He stretches, “let’s go find this Voltron thingie.”

 It sounds _very_ cool, but all he hears is a groan from Hunk. Tough crowd.

 Suddenly they hear a car parking outside. From the tiny window, Lance can tell it’s one of the Garrison’s cars and panics _just a little bit_ . His mom is going to _kill him_. Hunk, on the other hand, is on the verge of crying and tries to hide behind a sofa that was way too small for him; even Shiro seems frightened for a second, putting himself in front of everyone. Pidge goes to hide behind Hunk, and seems to be the only one doing a good job at hiding.

Keith looks unimpressed, so Lance tries to look unimpressed too. Fucking mullet.

“Keith! Are you…? Is Takashi…?”, the voice comes from outside, and Lance recognizes it immediately. His fear is lowered, but not entirely, when Professor Weiss enters the shack.

Everybody goes silent.

Professor Weiss looks at Shiro. Then at Keith. Then at everyone else and then back a Shiro. His mouth is open.

“ _Pleasedon’ttellIverson.”_ Hunk whispers, closing his eyes.

“You fucking suicidal idiot,” Professor Weiss hisses, and Lance is afraid again because he’s never seen his professor this mad before and it’s scary and he wants to hide with Hunk and Pidge and possibly survive. Even Keith looks scared now; he even takes a few steps towards Lance, as far from Shiro as possible.

But Shiro doesn’t seem afraid at all. He’s smiling, and crying, and laughing a little bit, “I missed you too.”

And then Professor Weiss punched him, and he’s crying too, and Keith now looks like he’s about to cry and even Hunk is crying.

Five seconds later, Professor Weiss kicks them all out off the shack.

“Heh. They kicked you out,” he tells Keith, ignoring the fact that he, too, was kicked out.

Keith rolls his eyes and walks to Professor Weiss’ car. Shiro and professor Weiss don’t stay in the shack long, and when they’re out neither of them is crying. Thank god, because Lance doesn’t want to deal with a crying Keith, too.

They all enter the car, which is way more comfortable than Keith’s tiny motorcycle. It also doesn’t have mullet driving it. So that’s a plus. Professor Weiss drives so much better, too, and doesn’t try to kick them off. The drive is short but awkward, Lance stuck between Hunk and Keith, with Pidge sitting over Hunk. Pidge and Hunk seemed okay with this, but Lance would have killed a man if it meant not having Keith’s elbow digging into his stomach.

“Could you _move?_ ”, he urges, pushing Keith away.

“I’m trying to! Shiro, I want to go in front with Adam.”

“No you don’t! You will stay right here!” Lance interrupts him, almost hugging him to stop him from moving. Of course! Keith has to suffer with him! Pfff, this guy.

“Are we almost there?” Pidge asks.

“I’m a little bit hungry.”

“Keith _move your fucking mullet from my face.”_

“You keep your face away from my hair!”

“THAT’S IT! YOU ARE ALL GOING DOWN!” Professor Weiss thunders and Shiro _laughs_ and he seemed almost too happy for having four teenagers and a crazy guy on the same car.

It’s a _serious_ warning, he realizes too late, but thank god they pull off soon. The place they were looking for doesn’t look very impressive, though, and Lance starts to suspect this Voltron won’t be such a great thing, either. Maybe he’s just crazy for following the other crazies.

But on the other hand, maybe this could be the big thing he has always dreamed of. Like, he isn’t sure what _the big thing_ is, but he has always hoped he would find it someday, and his life will finally make sense.

Eventually they find a cave, and only Pidge seems excited about it. Professor Weiss and Shiro talk in low voices, and Keith is following them like a puppy. Like, Lance was planning on following them too but it was lame, really. Stupid _mullet_.

So he looks around instead. This place needs serious redecorating and cleaning. So he starts with that, basically because the drawings in the cave doesn’t make any sense when dust is covering half of them.

Until he touches them.

And, honestly, it’s very creepy but mostly _awesome_ . The drawings glow and tell him a story, and he can _understand_ it without even trying.

Then THE MOTHERFUCKER CAVE EATS THEM.

Pidge is screaming and Hunk is screaming but Hunk, the angel, is making sure Pidge isn’t touching the water. Hunk tries to reach Lance, too, but Lance i way too ahead of them and is too busy screaming to worry about it.¿

He’s the first one to fall. And also the first one to see her.

She is so beautiful.

And of course, she can’t be his.

Keith rushes towards her, but even then Lance can’t keep his eyes away from her. It’s a lioness, the color of the sea and the bright sky. And she’s staring at him, like she expects him to do something.

_Silly lion_ , he wants to warn her _, it’s not me who you want. It’s him. Keith is the one doing the great things. He’s the hero of this story._

It doesn’t hurt to admit it. Not in silence, not to her.

Keith gets closer to her, but the barrier won’t let him in. Of course, Keith, because you’re an impolite little shit.

“Maybe you just have to knock.”

Maybe he just has to ask.

Because she’s looking at him and she’s telling him what he has been telling himself all these years. She’s reassuring him, and only him, that there are grand things waiting for him. And she roars and urges him to realize this, asking him to accompany her.

She’s so bright and so strong. And she has been waiting for him.

Voltron has been waiting for him.


	2. The Green Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for all your kudos, bookmarks, and especially your lovely comments!!! and appreciate them a lot and they made my day <3 hope you like this chapter too!

“—father”

But he is not there.

Allura doesn’t allow herself to panic, doesn’t allow herself to be scared right now. Her legs fail her and she finds herself falling into a stranger’s arms, and she holds onto him only because of instinct. She doesn’t know this creature, and doesn’t know where she is right now; but most importantly, she doesn’t know where her father is.

“I’m Lance. And you’re right here in my arms,” the stranger flirts, and only now does Allura try to recognize him. He could be an Altean, because they share the same kind of face, and his skin color is almost quite like hers.  _ He is not a Galra.  _ That is a good sign, she thinks, that there are no Galra in this room.

_ But he is not Altean, either.  _ She realizes this when she looks at his ears, the foreign form they have. She wants to ask again, this time with more authority,  _ who  _ he is, and  _ what _ is  _ he  _ doing here. But her brain is still muddled, and the words fail her.

“Your ears. They are hideous.”

Now the strange man starts talking, starts  _ screaming _ and something in her brain activates; Allura lets him go, demands her body to answer her, and throws the stranger to the floor, stopping him from moving.

“Who are you? Where is King Alfor? What are you doing in my castle?” she demands, urging him to answer by inflicting enough pain.

And she is scared, even if she tried not to be. But there is no time for fear now; she’ll find time when she finds her father, and lets herself be a child again in his arms, but when she scans the room, there are five strangers, five aliens that want something from her, from Altea. Something she would not give.

“A giant blue lion brought us here! That’s it! That’s all we know! Please let me go?!”

Blue. Blue is here. Her joy doesn't last long, though, because Blaytz is not with those strangers. “Where is its paladin? Why do  _ you  _ have it? What are you all doing here?”

She studies them carefully. All of them seem confused, even more than her. The biggest of them is the one most scared, but she can see the other five people being just as perplexed. Allura lets the stranger go, and stands up in the middle of the room.

“Unless…” her voice loses some of its power, the adrenaline leaving space for sorrow, “how long has it been?”

One of the oldest men answers her question. Behind him is the biggest guy, holding onto him like a lifeline. Beside him is a guy that seems around his age, but that is all they share. The guy by his side doesn’t look scared, and takes a step towards her when his friend starts talking.

“We don’t know what you’re talking about.” the man begins, and Allura can see that this man doesn’t want to hurt her. His voice is kind and low, like he was trying to assure her; like he was talking with a lost, wounded creature. In another time she would not have appreciated being looked down at, but right now his tone helps her catch her breath, “but we want to help, if you’d let us.”

“ _ Takashi,”  _ the man by his side warns.

She doesn’t trust them. But she has to, if they have the Blue Lion with them.

“I am Princess Allura of Planet Altea,” and when she says this, like a mantra, she feels a bit stronger. She is Altea’s princess, Alfor’s daughter, this is her castle, and she would not let herself be defenseless.

She takes the controls of the castle. They’re in a great state, like nothing had happened. Hope takes place in her heart, thinking that if the castle is safe so is her father. One second later she can hear Coran babbling, and a small smile forms her lips while she keeps working, completely ignoring the strangers. With Coran near her, she would be safe.

The sound fades as she reads the data offered by the castle. Her smile is replaced by a worried expression, and it feels like her heart stops for an eternity.

“What is it?”, Coran asks, bringing her back from her shock.

“We have been asleep for  _ 10,000 years. _ ”

She says this, but she doesn’t recognize her own voice.

_ “If all goes well, I will see you soon. I love you.”  _ Those were her father’s last words to her. It was not soon.

“Planet Altea and all of the planets in our solar system have been destroyed. Coran, Father is gone. Our entire civilization…”

They are all gone.

But she will not allow herself to grieve, to let the pain overwhelm her. She can’t. Coran takes a few steps towards her, like he was about to catch her. She looks at him and gives herself a few seconds to mourn, only for him to see.

But that is all she will allow.

“Zarkon,” she says his name like she is declaring war, “he was the king of the Galra. A vile creature,”  _ my father’s best friend, “ _ and enemy to all free people.”

And he is still alive, even when it should have been impossible. But what does she know about monsters? But she believes the man, the stranger with the kind voice and scars from a war, believes that he wants to help. Zarkon is alive, and he wants Voltron.

Allura will never let him have it while she’s still alive.

Coran leaves to bring them food, but she has no appetite. Instead of eating, she carefully reads all the information presented in the screen, her heart going smaller every time she recognizes an empty space where it should have been a planet.

The strangers do not understand her concern and they don’t try to. She can hear them behind her; two of them are fighting over simple math, one is very busy eating, the smallest one is trying to touch her stuff and the oldest two watch her carefully.

The one with the glasses does so with suspicion, while the other does it with awe. She doesn’t like either of them, but can understand the apprehension of the first one. Allura, too, is ready to fight them if the need arrives.

Coran is talking to them, because he has never had the heart of a soldier, too full of kindness and solicitude to be distrustful. Allura does not pay attention until his voice goes low, until he can no longer hide his heartache.

“We are… the last Alteans alive.”

His voice hurts her even more than she thought. Coran, her guardian, her friend, her hero. The only person left that knows her, the only one left that loves her.

She is no longer a princess. She can’t be, she doesn’t deserve the title. A pretty castle and a crown does not make her a princess; how can she call herself one when all of her people died and she’s still alive? What was hers to command? To lead?

This time, when Coran reaches for her, she meets him midway. Coran knows her, and knows all the pain inside her, and when he hugs her it does not make her feel weaker.

_ I am going to protect you _ , she promises to herself.

While she is hugging him she hears low noise, calling her in the most simple of languages with the most honest excitement. Four little mice greet her when she walks towards a corner in the room, and she smiles widely at them.

_ You too _ .

Her last Alteans, all her kingdom.

 

* * *

 

 

Honestly, Adam just wants to go home. There is a limited number of times you can save your suicidal ex-fiancé from certain death and Takashi is walking over that limit right now. They meet some aliens in the middle of the space after taking a wormhole while escaping from an alien ship? Takashi offers to help. Of course. Takashi for everyone. It’s not like he almost  _ died _ three hours ago.

He loves him for it, even if he has spent months trying not to. There’s no thing as unloving Takashi, even if he had actually wished the sentiment was gone.

Back in Keith’s shack, he hugged him. He had mourned for him and then he was hugging him and he couldn’t have been happier, except he was because Takashi told him his sickness was gone. His arm, too, along with one year of his life. But Adam hoped they could take it from there, that they could heal and resume their lives.

He had forgotten he was in love with an idiot.  

The alarm moves his attention to the screen.

“How did they find us?” the princess asks, and looks at him for a second. Adam doesn’t mind; he doesn’t trust her, either.

“I don’t know but I bet its Keith’s fault,” Lance remarks, and Adam groans because he can’t deal with an ex-fiancé, aliens and  _ teens _ at the same time. He just can’t. He ignores them. Like, the bets are on Keith but he just wishes Lance could kick his emo child, really.

Takashi, way less fun than Adam and more concerned about everyone’s safety (again) stops their squabbling. “It’s time to work as a team,” he states, like he’s sure they are a team.

Adam doesn’t want a part in this. He just wanted to help Takashi and stop Keith from going to prison. And now, he really, really wants to go home.

“Let them come,” the princess voices, with determination, “by the time they get here, five of you will have reformed Voltron.”

She’s watching Adam again, looking as if she’s sure he will be one of those five but not quite happy about it. She excludes Hunk and Pidge, like she can’t decide which one of them is the worst option for the last lion. The princess doesn’t know that Hunk is the best mechanics in the class, and Pidge one of his brightest students.

And she doesn’t know that Adam will definitely not be a part of this.

“That’s it. Kids, pack your stuff. We are going home,” and he looks at Takashi, asking, waiting. Hoping. But Takashi looks surprised and he doesn't move.

Keith reacts with the only emotion he’s capable of: anger.

“What? Adam, didn’t you listen? We have to stay. Also, Shiro-“ and he looks at Takashi, like that’s the only reason Adam needs to stay. He could be, really. If Adam was alone with Takashi, he would pick him again and again. But it’s not just the two of them.

“We need to go,” he repeats, deliberately not looking at Takashi. He won’t pick him over the cadets; won’t pick him over Keith. He can’t.

“Professor Weiss is right! Like, I bet there are guys much better than. A Princess doesn’t need us!” Hunk defends, the only one taking his side after an awkward minute. He doesn’t mind that the rest don’t. He wasn’t asking for it.

“Yes, I do.” the princess insists, and it seems like the words cost her too much, “I do need you. The universe needs you.”

They’re  _ kids. _

“Also, we really can’t get you to your horrible small planet right now,” the orange thingy adds, smiling like the asshole he is.

Adam groans, raising his arms with exasperation, and goes to sit in a corner. He closes his eyes, the voices of the others in the background. He doesn’t open his eyes when somebody sits next to him. He knows it’s Takashi: his body is already used to his, his heart always wanting him near.

“Hey,” Takashi begins, slowly, the voice he uses to calm people. Now Adam looks at him, with a raised eyebrow, and Takashi laughs a little and his smile is just as bright as he remembers, “sorry, sorry. I know.”

Adam still doesn’t forgive him, but he can’t help but love him.

“You idiot,” he mutters, admitting defeat. Takashi stays by his side but they don't talk anymore, the silence too comforting for them to dare cross.

Then the princess shows them the universe, so vast and beautiful that Adam loses himself in it and Takashi’s warmth. He loves the universe, and Takashi, but it’s clear to him which one he loves more. Which one he can’t live without.

Still sitting side by side, they pay close attention to the princess’ words. The Black Lion is in the castle, but they can’t access it until they have the other lions. Lions, that, apparently, had some kind of brain because they choose their own pilots, not the other way around.

The princess also says a lot magical stuff he doesn’t pay attention to. “The Black Lion is the decisive head of Voltron. It will take a pilot who is a born leader and in control at all the times. Someone whose men will follow without hesitation,” she states, and Adam looks at Takashi instinctively, and finds his eyes shining with excitement.

Then Takashi meets his eyes, and he smiles a little but then looks embarrassed, almost heartbroken, mimicking Adam’s own expression.

Because they both know. That lion is his and his only, and Adam can't compete with that, would not try to.

Allura explains the rest of the lions, but Adam isn’t listening anymore. He’s thinking that he saved Takashi, saved the love of his life, only to lose him again. Both times because there was something Takashi would pick over him, something greater than Adam’s love.

This time he’ll lose Keith too, he thinks, when he looks at him and he finds him looking at the image of the red lion with reverence and then Lance’s with want, and he doesn’t know if he can bear it, if he can lose both Takashi and Keith and go home unbroken.

There’s no lion for him. He knew this even before Allura stopped talking. His place is not this.

 

* * *

 

 

Their trip isn't supposed to be very long. Katie spends the time touching the pod's controls, learning as much as she can in the limited time. She doesn't care much about the Green Lion, if she has to be honest, but she wouldn't mind to have a big, armed robot when she goes to find her family. Even if she got it by luck. Back in the castle, Lance had been sure that his lion was the red lion, then, Keith said he wanted the red lion. Katie was sure he only said that to pick a fight with Lance. Honestly, Katie wanted the Black Lion, she figured it was the more equipped and she wanted its technology more than life itself. Hunk, however, wanted to go home.

Allura might have been better off assigning random lions to them, even if she doesn’t know them well; it would have prevented lots of screaming and, in Hunk’s case, puking.

It’s Shiro who put back order on things, and assigned the Green Lion to Katie after Adam Weiss left. Shiro seemed like he wanted to follow him into the castle, but stayed with them instead, “Pidge and I will go after the Green Lion,” he decided.

Katie agreed, only because she very much wanted a giant robot that could find her lost family. Keith wanted to come with them, but Shiro insisted that he stayed and located the red lion. Then he added something like, “go find him”, and Katie supposed he was talking about Adam Weiss but didn't really care.

It was the closer she had been from finding her family in years and she would not wait.

Coran had warned them that they only could keep the wormholes open for two hours, that if they didn’t want to live the rest of their lives in weird planets. Comforting.

She didn't mind the risks when he told them this, and she doesn’t mind the risks now. Even if it's greener than she expected, she’s sure it’d be full of new technological secrets she can put her hands on.

As Coran said, they have no problem landing. The planet is peaceful, full of beautiful flowers and calm creatures. She sneezes. This is not her place  _at all._

It’s pretty boring, only plants and plants and plants. She’s not an outdoor person; she’s barely a functional person, for fucks sake. She just wants to find this lion of hers. Then search for her dad and her brother and maybe then disassemble the lion for research. She’s a simple girl with simple goals.

“Did you guys fight?” she asks, while they’re walking. She knows Shiro and Adam were in a relationship a year ago, because Matt wouldn’t stop talking about being best man on their wedding, but she never cared enough to ask more. Relationships, and people, are tricky for her and she’s way more comfortable with the beeps of her machines.

Shiro seems surprised for a moment, then he smiles. Katie is not an expert on smiles, but that doesn’t look good. It looks programmed.

“I don’t know. I think we did,” he answers, following her closely. He helps her when she almost falls, then helps her again and again because she’s a mess and can’t walk outdoors, apparently.

“I do love him. I really do. And I think he loves me, too.” Shiro voices, and Katie regrets even asking in first place.

“You don’t have to explain it to me,” she states, and it’s more of a  _ please don’t  _ but Shiro doesn’t seem to get it.

“It’s just… the universe needs us, you know? How is it fair that I have to choose?”

“You really, really don’t have to explain it to me.”

She’s saved by a giant sloth. Yes. She is saved by a giant, alien sloth, but it doesn’t feel like a save. It feels like HOLYFIFRIKCINGFUCK and she jumps behind Shiro because she’s smaller than the Sloth and she  _ so  _ doesn’t like it.

“I… I think he wants us to get in his canoe,” Shiro guesses. The canoe of the alien sloth.

Gosh she’ll have the time of her life when she tells Matt.

“I guess we should go,” Shiro remarks, like it was the most normal thing in the world and then he. Fucking. Gets in the canoe. No fucks given. “I’ve been locked up by aliens for a year. This is like a walk in the park for me,” he adds, and Katie shrugs because, sure, why the fuck not, let’s get in the canoe of the giant sloth.

The trip is… kinda beautiful, she has to be honest. In a way she didn’t thing nature could be this beautiful—it calms her just as much as her machines, and makes the same amount of sense. Her thoughts, always erratic and waiting to be decoded, make a pause in this place.

But she doesn’t want them to. Her thoughts, her mind, it’s the only thing she’s familiar with.

“Shiro. Shiro. I’m not a pilot,” she tells him, like it wasn’t obvious before, “like, sure, I’ve read the manuals, who hasn’t? They’re so easy. But like, I’ve never piloted a ship before. Experience didn’t really seem necessary, you know? But maybe I’m wrong. Maybe you should have brought Adam, not me. Adam—he’s a great pilot. He’s the best—well, he was the best after you kinda, died? So yeah. Let’s go back for Adam.”

Shiro smiles while she talks, and doesn’t interrupt her until she’s finished. He laughs, and his laugh reminds her of her dad’s. She feels herself relaxing.

“Our commander on the Kerberos Mission is the smartest man I’ve ever met, and he always said, ‘If you get too worried about what could go wrong, you might miss a chance to do something great’.”

His words seem so perfect, so fitting, that for a moment Katie worries that he knows who she really is. But if he does he doesn’t mention it, and lets Katie drown in her father’s advice for comfort. Her dad has always motivated her, always pushing her forward. And he would have done it this time, too, if he were here.

_ You can’t miss this _ , he would say to her, because for him everything was magnificent, everything had greatness within it, wanting to be discovered. Katie has dreams of her own, but she shares the same passion with his dad: she wants to understand.

They get to the place, and Katie knows  _ this  _ is the place because something familiar is calling her, asking her if she wants to know its secrets. The giant sloth sees them off, and Katie walks ahead after saying goodbye.

She takes one step then the entire thing glows green.

This is technology and nature and somehow it makes so much sense; it’s like her mind is clear for the first time in her life, and she can reach her thoughts them if she only stretchs a little.

“Go. Be great.” Shiro says, and she smiles and promises him that she will, promises to her father and her brother; she mostly promises to herself.

Both her and the lion that is half nature and half technology and makes her thoughts make sense. They will be great.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter: the yellow lion. im v excited bc i love hunk!!! we will have lance's, hunk's and coran's pov <3


	3. The Yellow Lion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello friends! sorry for the super late update, I had some crazy holidays! Hope you had a good time too! As a super important note, the awesome @Liesel_M has became a beta reader for this fic! They're doing a great job, they even edited the last two chapters! I'm really grateful for their help. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one too, even if it's not as long as the others! Thank you for your lovely words and kudos and bookmarks, I can't thank you enough for your support!
> 
> Also, today's Hunk's birthday!!!! My boy. He deserves so much and I hope I do him justice with this fic. I cry everyday thinking of him, such a good boy.

****The Castle of Lions is 10,600 deca-phoebs old now. Coran updates this information in his head, along with the rest of the things he missed. There are some easier than others: the location of the lions, the coordinates of their castle, his own age.

Others his brain refuses to acknowledge.

 _King Alfor is dead_. This he ignores, his heart does not take. This cannot be true.

_Altea is gone._

So he focuses on what he can do now. He can, he _must_ , protect Princess Allura. That’s the most important thing. Then, the new, alien creatures that had awoken them from their sleep. Helping Voltron is his number two priority, and his brain does respond to this task. His fingers still remember how to type and his mustache is in great shape. He can do this.

_You failed King Alfor. You are an embarrassment for the family._

_You failed Altea._

That has to wait, too.

“Number Six has gained access to the Green Lion, Princess,” he informs, but mostly out of habit. Princess Allura has her eyes on the screens as well, and both of them cheer in silence. It does not feel like a victory.

Their full attention is now on the other humans, Number Four and Number Three. Their way to the Yellow Lion has not been as easy, and Coran finds himself on the edge of his chair every two seconds. Did he just send some untrained toddlers to recover one of the most important weapons in the universe? Did he just send them to die while he watches?

Is it the only thing he knows how to do?

“They’re cadets,” a voice says, and Coran turns around a second to see Number One entering the room. He looks unharmed, but he has an astonished expression, “back on Earth, I mean. They might not look like soldiers, but they are strong. And smart. They’ll be okay.”

He didn’t noticed that his worry for the earthlings was so obvious. He stretches out and forces a smile.

“Not very good ones, though! Your form is awful! And that piloting- an Altean child could have outmaneuvered those Galran ships in a tick! We have so much training to do when they get back!”

Princess Allura, who Coran didn’t know was paying attention, lets out a small laugh. Number One also does, not looking mad at him for insulting his companions. Well, Coran wasn’t really _insulting_ . It’s just the truth. It’s not his fault that humans are so behind Alteans in like, _everything._

Actually, Princess Allura is one of their finest pilots, but he’s glad she’s here, even if she’s exhausting herself keeping the wormhole open. Here he can protect her.

Number Six joins them in the operations room just a minute after Number One. This is the smallest human of the group, and the new companion of the Green Lion. Number Six does remind him of some of the best qualities of Trigel: her inquisitive nature and her incredible intelligence. This had to be true, because Green would not have answered otherwise. But Number Six is _definitely_ nothing like the former Green Paladin: Trigel was tall and all of her movements were elegant, all good manners and a comforting smile.

“Wow! I love your intercommunication system. What’s its range?” Trigel was _nice_ and _well mannered_ and a _pleasure_ to attend. Not mad as a wet chüper.

“Quiet, Six! We are trying to keep your comrades from, how could you translate this? Becoming worm eggs!”

“That’s definitely not a thing. Also, six? What’s that about?”

“Don’t make me fight you, Six! Because I would and I would win!”

“Seriously, Shiro, what’s that six thing about? Is that supposed to be me? And, where are Keith and Professor Weiss? I thought Keith was supposed to be waiting for any cue on the red lion.”

“They can’t be far,” Number One replies, but it seems like wishful thinking.

“Oh, they can be! The Castle of Lions is one of the best constructions in the universe! It is so huge that you could get lost and never been found! However, if you are lucky you would get lost in one of its three spas!” Coran lets them know, because he is a good person and doesn’t want to worry them much about the location of their friends.

Number Six and Number One look at him for a long second before they start laughing. Coran blinks slowly because he does not understand these humans, but then it’s easy to get lost in their laugh. For a second, he allows himself to forget all the important information that he should be working on storing on his brain and laughs, too, with them.

 

* * *

 

It is beautiful. For like. Three minutes. They travel comfortably, admiring the space, the one thing both Hunk and Lance love in equal measure. They always used to do this back at the Garrison, even if Hunk claimed he was scared and that they were going to get caught.

There they also talked about all the things they wouldn’t talk about in front of everybody else. When it is just the two of them, Lance can be afraid, and this is the kind of friendship he values the most; Lance can be himself with any of his friends, but he can only be vulnerable with Hunk.

“I did want to go home. For a second there,” Lance tells him, in a low voice, like he was admitting being a complete coward.

“I think we all did. It’s normal, Lance, to be afraid sometimes. Like, I’m _always_ afraid, and you’re afraid just a little. The world is very scary, man. You are brave.”

That’s the thing about Hunk. You always know he’s going to gift you kindness.

“I am, aren’t I? I hope Princess Allura noticed. Man, she’s _gorgeous._ Literally a _goddess_. She’s the most beautiful girl I have ever seen.” This kind of talk comes easier for him, and it changes the atmosphere instantly.

Hunk laughs, “uh-uh. I’ve seen this before. And I know how it ends, Lance.”

“Hey! Just wait, you’ll see. She’ll fall for all my charms soon enough,”

“Like, the three of them?”

Lance punches him jokingly in the shoulder. When he’s about to answer, just when they are entering the planet’s atmosphere, an alarm stops him and the controls demand his attention.

Ships. Lots of them. Opening fire.

“Oh, oh, no, nonono, this is bad, this is really bad—“ he hears Hunk in the background, but doesn’t have time to reassure him. He starts flying faster, going below the few ships that are following them.

Below, a small army is taking off.

Hunk is still screaming, and he thinks he’s screaming too, as he tries to dodge most of the shots. One manages to hit Blue, making them shake and the emergency alarms blast louder.

_I’m a great pilot._

He doesn’t believe this.

_I can do this._

He doesn’t believe that either.

_Blue chose me. Even if I can’t, I have to._

He knows this.

There are people waiting for him. _The universe_ is waiting for him. He can’t fail Princess Allura, or Shiro, or Hunk. He _really_ wants to be all of these things, and he thought that if he worked hard he could be the best pilot in the story of Garrison.

He _really_ believed he could be better than Keith, a born genius.

But _the very first second_ they came close to the planet, “the peaceful planet”, thank _you_ Coran, all the enemy ships had seen them and started following them in an instant and shooting them like there was no tomorrow.

 _Maybe there isn’t, with you piloting._ He thinks, and his thoughts sound a lot like Keith, really, so he gets mad, and it’s better to get mad instead of panicking.

And _boy_ , Hunk doesn’t make not-panicking easy.

“OH, OH, NO, GOD, GOD LANCE THEY’RE _CLOSE_ . LIKE, REALLY _CLOSE,”_ Hunk shrieks and Lance screams too and they’re both screaming but he manages to avoid the shots and that’s. A good thing. Wow. He’s actually nailing this.

_Good girl, it’s all you, isn’t? Such a good kitty-kitty. Such a good Blue._

He leaves the enemies behind him, one by one, while following Hunk’s instructions. It’s easier than it seems, even if it’s only because Blue is so easy to pilot and lets him do all the eccentric maneuvers than the ships on earth could have never handled.

“Suck it, Keith!” he screams when two ships crash into each other.

“What the frick Lance? Why are you thinking about Keith? I thought we were worried about THE ALIENS THAT WANT US DEAD!”

“It’s all under control, buddy! And I WAS NOT thinking about Keith! Just, about my piloting skills! That are better than Keith’s!”

“WHY ARE WE STILL TALKING ABOUT KEITH! LANCE I AM REALLY AFRAID! CAN WE TALK ABOUT YOUR CRUSH LATER?”

“What- No, nono- pff, what do you mean by that? I was just saying that—“

“LANCE PLEASE!”

“OKAY, OKAY HUNK. BUT I DO NOT, I REPEAT, DO NOT HAVE A CRUSH ON THAT MULLET THING.”

“I BELIEVE YOU NOW PLEASE LET’S GET AWAY FROM THE ALIENS!”

And, only because he’s a good friend, he accepts it.

It comes to a point where he’s actually enjoying it, maneuvering and escaping and coming back for them; this is like one of the scenes he’s always dreamed of when he dreamed of becoming a pilot.  He’s still screaming, though, because he’s not a lunatic like Keith; but this time, when he does, he screams and it sounds a little bit more like “BYE BYE ALIEN BASTARDS”.

Hunk looks at him and raises an eyebrow. Lance doesn’t know if he means “you are crazy” or “thank you for saving my life, _amigo”_ or he just wants to puke.

“According to the coordinates, we’re right on top of the Yellow Lion,” Hunk informs him instead, and it’s the only information Lance needs. His friend keeps talking, because Hunk talks when he’s nervous and unwilling to do things but today Lance can’t give him a pep talk.

“Hunk, _hermano del alma_ , I love you but you need to stop talking! Also I’m dropping you down there and you are getting that lion right now!”

“What, wait? What do you mean? Lance, what does _del alma_ mean? Lance, down there? There are people with guns there, Lance! Nope, no can do. Not today.”

“Yes, yes today! I’ll cover for you!” He flies down, straight downhill, and then started running and crushing whatever gets in their way with Blue’s paws.

“What if the Yellow Lion doesn’t work? What if it isn’t meant to be mine? What if I start crying, because I’m not a pilot and that’s not my lion, and—“

“Buddy, it’s you! You can do this! The Lion will be lucky for having you and also we kinda don’t have time for questions or crying!”

And he opens Blue’s mouth and lets him go. There goes his best friend, rolling to victory. He’s proud and worried, but mostly excited, and he smiles as he turns around and faces all the ships left.

 _Well, well, what do we have here mis amigos_.

 

* * *

 

Okay, okay, okayokayokay. He can do this. Like, he _has_ to do it, anyway, because Lance is out there covering for him and like, the entire universe depends on this Voltron robot and in him recovering the Yellow Lion while lots of purple aliens try to kill them.

No biggie.

Thank god, there is _a machine_. Cables and circuits and stuff he recognizes and calms him while he fixes. Hunk is good at fixing things: he lives for it. He isn’t like Pidge, who gets joy in creating and improving, and hates learning things from books because there is always something bigger for him.

Hunk is simpler. Hunk finds, understands and then fixes. His happiness comes to bring something that was lost back to life. He’s all about second chances, and finds potential in the most useless things.

There is nothing in the universe he cannot fix.

But fighting and flying? Nope-no. That’s Lance. Keith. Shiro. Even Pidge and Professor Weiss. They can be heroes. Hunk… Hunk is not a hero. He’s a mechanic. He fixes stuff on the background, so heroes can use it. He doesn’t even look like a hero: he’s too chubby and too tall and too brown. There are no heroes that look like him out there for a reason.

Also, he’s _scared_ . _Very_. Heroes are like Lance, that get scared but it doesn’t stop. Hunk gets scared like Hunk, and he gets nervous and pukes and stops in the middle of his work. This is not his place at all. Professor Weiss would fit so much better here.

But Lance trusts him. The strange, pretty princess trusts him too. And he has to do this.

The machine seems to think this, too, because it allows him to find the cables he needs easily. They’re not very damaged, it seems that only the electricity flow was cut so he doesn’t have to do much.

“Here you are, friends,” and connects them.

Light welcomes him.

Hunk doesn’t notice the drawings that glow in yellow upon him. He’s still afraid, and still on the clock, and his eyes are in front of him, admiring from a safe distance. For him this isn’t a hero’s journey, full of greatness and exciting stories to share. This is like fixing things: dirty, rudimentary, functional. Hunk doesn’t know how to be pretty, and he doesn’t try to.

“Okay, I’m in a giant hole. Now what, Hunk?” he asks himself, wishing Lance was with him. Lance always knows what to do and, if he doesn’t, he still does his best. His friend has an instinct for that, for adventure and the ways to victory. He’s a pilot, after all. Hunk is just a mechanic, and there are millions of them out there.

Then the yellow light that had been following without him noticing becomes bright in front of his eyes. It shows him the way, because the Yellow Lion wants him.

He doesn’t know what to do with this information.

“Are you sure, buddy? I mean, lady? My lady? It’s me. Hunk. Maybe you’re confused,” he says out loud, but doesn’t stop looking for a way to get to her, “I’m a mechanic. And I’d love to be your pilot! But I think I’m not the best fit. I can’t save the universe, you see. I’m just a mechanic. And my friends, and all the aliens, they need a hero.”

He doesn’t get an answer, but something feels warm in his chest. It’s not cute, though; it’s more like something punched him gently. It feels like the thing Lance does when he wants him to stop talking.

And he laughs, softly, “alright, alright. We can talk about that later. Now… how am I going to get through that?” he asks, and finds his answer right in front of him. An old, small excavator shines in the middle of the dark.

“You precious thing!” he exclaims and runs for it. It looks broken, but things are never broken forever, and he starts working on it immediately. He doesn’t have the things he needs, so he just improvises.

 _This_ he can do for them.

When the machine starts working it sounds like a heartbeat for him. He gets on it, and rapidly tries the controls before going for the big rock that separates him from the Yellow Lion. He has never seen this exact technology, but gets used to it quickly, and he’s soon excavating the wall between them.

It takes almost no time. When he finishes, the Yellow Lion is looking at him from above, following his every movement. Hunk thinks she has been following him forever.

“Hello, girl,” he greets, a little shy, full of awe. He doesn’t deserve this. He didn’t want it, and he did nothing to achieve it. He just happened to be next to Lance at the right moment.

“It can’t be me,“ he admits, but gets closer, little steps, “there are lots of better people to be your paladin. People that are heroes, back there in the castle. Like professor Weiss. He’s very smart. Or the princess Allura. I don’t know her very well, but she seems very brave. Or Coran! Coran, that guy- he’s really something. You would get along with him.”

 _Everyone but me_ , he pleads in silence. Both because he’s sure he can’t do it, and because he’s scared of doing it.

The particle barrier is still up. He’s happy about that, about not having to get in the scary, big lion and save the universe. _The universe_ is happy about this too, he thinks.

An explosion outside. _Lance._

He has to do this.

“But,” he gets closer to her, and extends his arm towards the barrier. He’s scared of burning, but he’s doing it anyway, “they really need me right now. And I know I’m not what you expected— but I really need to help them.”

There it is again, the warmth in his heart. The barrier disappears, and a roar welcomes him.

“ _I have been waiting millennia for you and you only, my Paladin.”_

And, for some reason, he believes it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hunk i would die for you. 
> 
> next chapter: red lion!!! keith, shiro and adam povs! alternative title: gay mess TM


End file.
